Avian Influenza Confirmed in the UK

Great Britain's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has confirmed that the highly virulent H5N1 strain of the avian influenza virus has been confirmed in poultry (mostly free-range turkeys) in Suffolk. Strains of the H5N1 virus can infect and cause death in wild birds, animals and humans. Bird flu was first detected in Asia in 1997 and has spread into parts of Africa and Europe. Read Defra's news release on the outbreak.

Want more information on bird flu? Check out the information pages from these agencies:

• AvianFlu.gov (avian & pandemic flu information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  
• Defra (United Kingdom)
• World Health Organization (WHO)
  

Read "Suffolk bird flu is H5N1 strain" from BBC News, "New case of deadly bird flu in UK" from CNN, and "Deadly Bird Flu Virus Found in UK Birds" from the Washington Post.

For more information on health and medical information, check out the library's guide.